Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 2, 2026

Perturbing Endothelial Biomechanics via Connexin 43 Structural Disruption
09:20

Perturbing Endothelial Biomechanics via Connexin 43 Structural Disruption

Published on: October 4, 2019

5.9K

Implications and challenges of connexin connections to cancer

Christian C Naus1, Dale W Laird

  • 1Life Sciences Institute, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T-1Z3, Canada. Christian.naus@ubc.ca

Nature Reviews. Cancer
|May 25, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Connexins, proteins forming gap junctions, were thought to universally suppress tumors. However, new evidence shows they can also promote cancer progression, suggesting connexins act as conditional tumor suppressors.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Oncology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Gap junction proteins, known as connexins, have been widely regarded as tumor suppressors in various cancer models.
  • This perspective suggested that enhanced gap junctional intercellular communication universally restricts tumor growth.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-evaluate the role of connexins in cancer, challenging the established paradigm.
  • To investigate the dual function of connexins in tumor suppression and progression.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing cancer models and recent experimental evidence.
  • Analysis of studies investigating connexin function in cell proliferation, adhesion, and migration.

Main Results:

  • Recent evidence indicates connexins can facilitate tumor progression and metastasis, contradicting their universal suppressor role.
  • Connexins' function appears context-dependent, influencing various cancer hallmarks.

Conclusions:

  • Connexins may be better classified as conditional tumor suppressors.
  • Their role in cancer is complex, modulating cell proliferation, adhesion, and migration based on the cellular context.

More Related Videos

Biotinylated Cell-penetrating Peptides to Study Intracellular Protein-protein Interactions10:26

Biotinylated Cell-penetrating Peptides to Study Intracellular Protein-protein Interactions

Published on: December 20, 2017

9.8K
Mechanical Stimulation-induced Calcium Wave Propagation in Cell Monolayers: The Example of Bovine Corneal Endothelial Cells10:46

Mechanical Stimulation-induced Calcium Wave Propagation in Cell Monolayers: The Example of Bovine Corneal Endothelial Cells

Published on: July 16, 2013

16.6K

Related Concept Videos

Gap Junctions01:37

Gap Junctions

Multicellular organisms employ a variety of ways for cells to communicate with each other. Gap junctions are specialized proteins that form pores between neighboring cells in animals, connecting the cytoplasm between the two, and allowing for the exchange of molecules and ions. They are found in a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate species, mediate numerous functions including cell differentiation and development, and are associated with numerous human diseases, including cardiac and...
56.6K
Gap Junctions01:27

Gap Junctions

The cytoplasm of adjacent animal cells can exchange small molecules, ions, and secondary messengers via the communication channels which form the gap junctions. These junctions comprise a few hundred to thousands of molecular channels, each made of two halves, called the connexon hemichannel. A connexon is a hexamer of six transmembrane connexin proteins, which assemble radially, thus forming a pore or channel in the center. One connexon hemichannel docks with a corresponding connexon on the...
9.2K
Contact-dependent Signaling01:19

Contact-dependent Signaling

Contact-dependent signaling, as the name suggests, requires that communicating cells be in direct contact with each other. This is achieved either through receptor-ligand interactions or by specialized cytoplasmic channels that allow the flow of small molecules between cells. In animal cells, channels called gap junctions facilitate contact-dependent signaling in certain tissues, whereas, plasmodesmata perform a similar function in plants.
Gap Junctions
In animal cells, gap junctions are formed...
46.7K
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells02:53

Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells

Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
6.8K
Overview of Cell-Cell Junctions01:14

Overview of Cell-Cell Junctions

The complex three-dimensional arrangement of cells in any multicellular organism is defined and maintained by interactions of cells with each other and the extracellular matrix. Cell-cell junctions are specialized structures where the multi-protein complexes on one cell interact with the multi-protein complexes on another  cell. These cell junctions are classified  into three main types based on their function — occluding, anchoring, and gap junctions.
Occluding or Tight...
28.5K
Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia01:35

Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia

Invadosome is a broad category of cell surface structures with proteolytic activity that  degrades the extracellular matrix (ECM). Invadosomes are present in normal cell types, including macrophages, endothelial cells, and neurons, as well as tumor cells. Although the macrophage podosomes and tumor cell invadopodia are classified as invadosomes, they have different structures, molecular pathways, and functions. Podosomes are short structures that last for a few minutes. However,...
3.1K